Five Things – 04.04.16 – That Men May Fight

You Dont Know Jack

In the summer of 2001 ABC tried to create a televised version of the crazy successful trivia video game show You Don’t Know Jack. It was not successful, but it did end up being kind of crazy.

The show was pretty loyal to the game’s format. Instead of the game’s regular host Cookie Masterson (who still performed as the show’s announcer), Paul Reubens played Troy Stevens – and did a really great job at it.

The guests selected were pretty colorful people, some with pretty colorful talents.

The “standard” trivia questions were typically worded or executed in a unique way, true to the video game’s style. There were also mini-games throughout the show, just like in the game, that offered bonus money.

The “Dis or Dat” minigame picked one player and gave them two categories. Troy would then run through several items that the player had to place in the correct category.

Narrative arcs sometimes carried through the shows as well, centered around Troy. The final round is the same as in the video game, the “Jack Attack” lightning round that pits the top two contestants against each other . Reubens really puts on his Pee-Wee hat for this round.

All in all, a fun show – I guess America wasn’t ready for game shows that didn’t involve asking if you wanted to be a millionaire or what’s in a briefcase. You Don’t Know Jack ran for six episodes and was cancelled.

Here’s an episode.

Wall Street

This bizarre 1982 arcade game has two types of rounds. In one, you are rescue workers saving stock brokers who have jumped out of windows in attempts to commit suicide.

In the other, you are presumably a banker or stock broker running through the streets of a foreign city destroying tanks that are pursuing you and collecting large sums of money.

Here’s some gameplay. I don’t understand. I mean, I understand the gameplay, but not the container that the gameplay was placed in.

YWCA Posters

In 1918, the YWCA provided personnel to assist the Armed Forces in World War I. Here are some gorgeous posters from designed to raise money for the effort.

Clean It

This mid-’80s McDonald’s training video features a Michael Jackson ripoff encouraging employees to clean the restaurant. I use the term “training video” loosely, as there’s not much how-to here other than “clean it”!

Castlevania Soundtrack

The score for the original Castlevania on the Nintendo Entertainment System is real funky! Who knew, or remembered?